{"id":151596,"date":"2025-11-28T15:19:50","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T20:19:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/runningmagazine.ca\/?p=151596"},"modified":"2025-11-28T15:19:50","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T20:19:50","slug":"could-bugs-be-your-next-training-fuel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/runningmagazine.ca\/the-scene\/could-bugs-be-your-next-training-fuel\/","title":{"rendered":"Could bugs be your next training fuel?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most of us don\u2019t look at a handful of mealworms and think \u201cgreat post-workout fuel,\u201d but maybe we should. On mysportscience.com<\/a><\/em>, Maastricht University researcher Wesley Hermans<\/strong> wrote about a study<\/a> he led on whether insect protein can stand up to the animal sources we\u2019re used to. The results make you wonder if we\u2019ve been ignoring a perfectly useful protein source simply because it wiggles and squirms.<\/p>\n

\"woman<\/p>\n

The case for looking beyond the usual proteins<\/h2>\n

The researchers point out that we\u2019ve spent decades studying the muscle-building effects of the usual suspects: milk, eggs, beef, whey and how to fuel running on a plant-based diet.<\/a> But with more attention on the environmental cost of food, insects may present an alternative. Many have amino-acid profiles similar to traditional animal protein, but can be produced on a scale that\u2019s far more sustainable. The question is, do they actually work for muscle repair and growth?<\/p>\n

\"person<\/p>\n

The study<\/h2>\n

The study tried to answer that. The researchers recruited a group of recreationally active men, who did a single-leg resistance workout and then drank a shake with either 30 grams of milk protein or 30 grams of mealworm protein. Over the next five hours, the researchers took blood samples and muscle biopsies. The team tracked how well the protein was digested, how fast amino acids reached the bloodstream and how much of it ended up being used to build new muscle protein.<\/p>\n

\"pasta<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Insects for the win?<\/h2>\n

Hermans writes that both proteins were \u201cproperly digested\u201d and led to very similar rises in blood amino acids<\/a>. More importantly, the muscle protein synthesis response\u2014essentially the body\u2019s short-term muscle-building signal\u2014didn\u2019t differ between the two groups. Participants who drank the mealworm shake built new muscle protein at the same rate as those who drank milk. The amino acids even showed up inside muscle tissue within two hours in both cases. As Hermans put it, \u201cyou really are what you just ate.\u201d<\/p>\n

The takeaway for runners<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re open to the idea, Hermans suggests mealworm protein is worth considering. In the study, it held up surprisingly well next to milk, challenging the assumption that insects can\u2019t possibly match more familiar sources. It’s not as novel an idea as you might think\u2014among the Canadian brands that sell cricket protein, n\u00e4ak<\/a> has been using its bars and drink mixes for nearly a decade. For anyone looking to mix up their protein options or find a more sustainable protein source, it might be a more practical choice than it sounds at first glance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Insects might make a great alternative recovery superfood<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5367,"featured_media":151600,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[326036],"tags":[345907,345906,344738,331858,339344,324520,337154],"class_list":["post-151596","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-scene","tag-cricket-powder","tag-insects-as-protein-source","tag-naak","tag-nutrition-for-runners","tag-running-science","tag-sports-nutrition","tag-sports-science"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCould bugs be your next training fuel? - Canadian Running Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Insects might make a great alternative recovery superfood\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/runningmagazine.ca\/the-scene\/could-bugs-be-your-next-training-fuel\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Could bugs be your next training fuel? 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